Summertime in Paradise
by Chibi Pikapuff
Summary: Jigglypuff is sent to a hotel to entertain the guests, but gets more than she bargained for when she falls in love with the mysterious Pokemon in the cage below her.
1. Chapter One

Summertime in Paradise  
  
I decided that in between writing some of my longer Pokemon stories, I would begin a series of small-ish stories based on and around certain special days (or times) of the year. This is the first, and as it is officially summertime in the UK (not that that means much!) I decided to write a summer love story about my favourite Pokemon, the pink and cuddly Jigglypuff. Hope you enjoy reading, and please review because it means a lot to me to know that people are reading my stories.  
  
Chapter One: Hotel from Hell  
  
I was escorted into the hotel like a celebrity. Me, a Pokemon, and one that most people avoided at all costs. But here I was, standing in the magnificent reception area of one of the most luxurious hotels in the Kanto region, located on a small island a few miles south of Cinnabar. You may wonder how I knew the location in such detail; I wouldn't have done if it weren't for the fact that the two guys who had captured me in one of those cramped human Pokeballs had been discussing it for the past hour. "They say that only the most rich and famous people stay here," one had told the other. I'd never been able to understand the human's obsession with money, it seemed worthless to me, and it shocked me even more to find out that there were places you could only stay at if you had enough of it. In the Pokemon world, we slept where we wanted, ate what we wanted, and talked to anyone we wanted. Now I had entered the human world, I understood their culture even less.  
  
There was a reason for my capture, and for me standing in the immaculate surroundings of the hotel building. This hotel was no ordinary one. Pokemon were everywhere, cleaning the rooms, serving the meals, and even sitting behind the reception desk under the watchful eyes of a smartly dressed woman. And I… I was the entertainment. They had picked up my disability to send anyone to sleep. It wasn't something I was proud of; it was something I resented, and something that had led to me being abandoned by my family. I hated the idea of it being used to please humans. But it appeared I didn't have any choice, because if I refused to work, I was scared I might get a taste of the shotgun one of my captors had hidden on the floor of the backseat of his car.  
  
As the man who had brought me here discussed me with the lady at the reception desk, I turned back to the door we had entered ten minutes earlier. The sun was bright and glowing, and everything appeared to sparkle, as if it were made of gold. My heart sank as I longed for it's light to shine down on me, to feel the warmth on my shoulders as I skipped along, oblivious of everything going on around me. The artificial lights and heater in the hotel were nothing in comparison. I gritted my teeth in annoyance as I was led by the rope tied around my middle around a corner and out of sight of the outside world. To the human I was just a Pokemon. I didn't have feelings, I was just something they could use for their own entertainment, and I hated them for it. As I passed other Pokemon carrying items back and forth from rooms, I began to wonder if any of them felt the same as me. They might not do, but somehow, I decided, I had to find out.  
  
Ten minutes later I was led into a small room lined with even smaller wire cages. I cursed, more loudly than I had meant to, as I saw the state they were in. I was staying at one of the most expensive hotels in the region, and I had to make do with a filthy rusty metal cage. It showed how much they respected me and the other Pokemon who worked for them. I struggled the best I could to prevent them from placing me in the cage, but eventually, they won, and I was locked in and left alone in a matter of seconds.  
  
"Rock a bye baby…" I began to sing. It was the only thing that comforted me when I was alone. "On the tree tops, when the wind blows the cradle will rock…" As I halted my singing, I felt tears in the corner of my eyes. I remembered singing back at Mount Moon with my brothers and sisters, running through the same song time and time again just to perfect our voices. Of course, eventually they all sent mother to sleep with their voices, but when I sung alone she didn't drop to the floor. I was a failure, and that was why they had kicked me out. I was the daughter of one of the most famous Jigglypuff tribe leaders around, and I couldn't even send anyone to sleep. I opened my mouth to sing again, but no sound came out, apart from a small whimper as I broke down into floods of tears. Then, I heard a voice.  
  
"Are you OK?" The voice came from below me, and I looked down despite knowing perfectly well that I wouldn't be able to see who it was.  
  
"Does it look like I'm OK?" His voice sounded so reassuring, and I immediately felt bad for being so harsh, but I usually sung alone, and it made me mad to think that someone had heard me.  
  
"I'm sorry…" he trailed off. "I was just a little worried that's all, your singing was excellent and I wondered what it was about it that had made you so sad."  
  
I smiled at the thought of someone describing my singing as excellent. I'd never heard anyone say that about my voice, my mother had never listened more than a couple of lines, when she realised she was still standing. I wiped a solitary tear from my cheek as my face widened into a weak grin. But I couldn't tell this stranger about my past, however much I had been longing to talk it through with someone.  
  
"It's OK," I replied abruptly. "I'll be fine."  
  
"Good. Because I'm sure if your face is as pretty as your voice those tears won't do it any good at all." I blushed despite myself. I was partly embarrassed by the lovely compliment, and partly because I felt so attracted to whoever it was below me, and I knew how stupid it was.  
  
"So… what are you doing in here?" I asked absentmindedly.  
  
"I'm tonight's entertainment," he replied solemnly.  
  
"You are?" I replied. "I'm doing the same tomorrow."  
  
"Horrible isn't it?" he sighed. "They sit there drinking and laughing with their friends while we stand on stage looking like complete fools."  
  
"I've… never done it before," I replied, my voice shaking at the prospect of what was ahead of me.  
  
"Then let me give you a few hints. Do your thing, and then get out of there as quickly as you can. It's easier than hanging around." He said this in an extremely matter-of-factly tone, and although I believed every word he said, I was still worried.  
  
"But, doesn't that mean you've failed? Don't they hurt you?"  
  
"It's in their best interests to keep us healthy," he replied, reassuring me immediately. "If we're ill then we can't entertain."  
  
We talked for over an hour after he had lifted the worries I had right from my shoulders, me looking down at him, even though I could see nothing, and him looking back up at me. It was strange, because although we were invisible to each other, I felt as though I was staring right into his huge bright eyes, and I felt a form of comfort as I lay down on the cold hard floor of the cage and closed my eyes to sleep.  
  
I had never been a romantic Pokemon. That was why it surprised me when I realised I was passionately kissing another Jigglypuff. The kiss was soft and tender, and although I was thoroughly enjoying it I knew it had to end at some point. I pulled away, not wanting to prolong the moment any longer, and as I did so I realised I was staring into the eyes I had been imaging I was looking at when I had been talking to the Pokemon below me earlier. He was slightly larger than me, and his eyes were sparkling blue rather then my own emerald ones. He had the warmest smile on his face, and my heart melted just by looking at it.  
  
"I love you," I said softly, out of the blue. I was shocked by my openness, I was usually a shy Pokemon, but somehow, being around him completely altered my personality, and I felt comfortable and safe for the first time in my life. I reached out to kiss him again as he told me he loved me too, but as I did he seemed to retreat further away from me, and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get to him. I felt like I was reaching to the moon, but no matter how far I stretched I couldn't hold the beautiful glowing sphere in my hand. And yet somehow I couldn't stop trying, because hope was what was keeping me going, and as long as I had that then I wouldn't give up.  
  
I awoke; confused for a moment about where I was, before recalling the events of the day before. I sat up slowly, my body aching all over from lying in such an uncomfortable position. As I stood up, regularly shifting my weight from one leg to the other, I heard rustling from down below me. The Pokemon below me was awake.  
  
"Hi," he spoke softly as I purposely moved around to let him know I wasn't asleep. "How are you this morning?"  
  
"Nervous," I replied. I hadn't realised that I was until then, but deep down I was terrified about the ordeal I was going to go through tonight. I couldn't imagine standing on a stage in front of humans singing with the voice I had learnt to be ashamed of.  
  
"Try not to be," he whispered back. "They laugh at you if they think you're scared."  
  
"They… laugh?"  
  
"Yeah, none stop," he said solemnly, "That's just one of the many pleasures associated with the job."  
  
"What are the others?" I asked cautiously, not sure if I wanted to know.  
  
"If they're impressed they throw coins at you, if not they throw tomatoes. I always prefer to be hit by tomatoes, coins flying at high speed can really hurt."  
  
"So you… do badly on purpose?" I asked.  
  
"I'd like to, but if I don't do well then my master… our master, shouts at me. I know it's not the same as physical punishment but it still hurts." His voice became low, and I could almost sense the grief in his heart, and I felt bad for asking so many questions. Maybe I was pathetic, as my parents had told me before they had packed my bags for me and sent me on my way. I had cried that day, wept enough tears to fill the ocean, and it hadn't made any difference. Yesterday I had done it again. Did that make me pathetic?  
  
"Do you think I'm pathetic?" I murmured quietly. I was partly hoping that he wouldn't hear it, because I realised what a stupid question was, but another part of me hoped that he would, because for some reason the reassurance I needed, I could easily seek from him.  
  
"Pathetic?" My heard skipped a beat as I realised he had heard my question. "Why would I think that? I think you're great, and I know that sounds silly because I've only ever spoken to you from down here, but I get the feeling you're really special."  
  
I wished he could have seen the smile that appeared on my face the moment he finished his speech. I had been brought up to believe that because I was different to my brothers and sisters I was less special than them, and leaving my parents had done nothing to change this view, as I had never had anyone I trusted enough to believe tell me that it wasn't true. Now this male Jigglypuff had come into my life and without even seeing me had formed an opinion of me, and I believed it immediately, sensing a notion of sincerity the moment he began to speak. I had seen a cartoon once while travelling through a huge human city, and it had shown a devastated area, dull and grey, with torrents of rain falling, making it look all the more in ruins. But when it ended and peace and happiness had been restored, the clouds broke and the sun shone through. That was how I felt at that moment. The tears I had shed in the past represented the bad part of my life, and the grin on my face now represented how my life had been transformed by one simple moment.  
  
"What are you thinking?" the Pokemon below me asked, and I felt my heart leap once again.  
  
"I'm thinking that you've just made me the happiest Pokemon alive." I replied, unable to wipe the smile from my face.  
  
"Glad to be of service," he said, but I hardly heard him; weariness had finally taken over my body and soon I slipped to the ground and fell into a deep and dreamy sleep.  
  
When I was finally awakened by my master slamming the door of the cage below me I had no recollection of how long I had been asleep. It was obvious that he was not in a good mood from the moment I heard him speak.  
  
"You had better perform better than that tomorrow you wretch!" To begin with I was confused, as I assumed he was speaking to me, but then I heard whimpering in the cage below me and realised that my friend had already done his nights entertainment. Now it was my turn. During the day my nervousness had slowly subsided but now I realised I was shaking, and I knew that by the time I arrived on stage, I would be terrified. I just hoped that my master didn't notice, or I would be in for some verbal punishment as well. A moment later, the door of my cage was opened and I was pulled out by the scruff of my neck, much to my annoyance, and literally thrown into a cage even smaller, which he closed and held in his arms.  
  
"Good luck," I heard my friend whisper. I attempted desperately to get at least one glance of him, but the room was dark and all I could see was a faded silhouette of him in the cage below the one from which I had been taken. A tear came to my eyes as I noticed that the figure was shaking, he was even more terrified than I was.  
  
Half an hour later I was standing by a door leading to the stage. Through it I could hear hundreds of humans talking among themselves, and that did nothing to calm my nerves. From what I could hear there were hundreds of them, and to me they sounded like a rowdy and uncontrollable herd of Tauros'. I could feel myself visibly shaking as I heard the voice of the shows host.  
  
"And now, hoping to enchant you with her beautiful voice, I welcome to the stage, Jigglypuff!" That was my cue. My master had been repeating it to me over and over again for the past half hour. What he didn't know was that I had got it the first time, and by the five hundredth (and I can be accurate, I was counting as he was speaking) I felt like using my pound attack on him. Shivering violently with fright, I made my way across what seemed like a huge stage to a small podium with a microphone on a stand. As I stepped up onto it the only think that made me feel even slightly better was the thought that my friend had been standing here only an hour earlier.  
  
"Rock-a-bye baby, on the tree top," I began to sing, although I was struggling to do so because I was shaking so much. Of course the humans would never understand the true meaning of the song, as all they heard was me repeating my name over and over again. It sometimes frustrated me that I couldn't communicate with them properly, but I realised it was probably best that they didn't get to hear what I thought of them. It reminded me of standing in front of my mother and trying as hard as I could to send her to sleep. Maybe it was better this way, I thought for a moment, because at least these humans accepted me for who I was, and didn't want me to be like every other Jigglypuff. I almost stopped singing at that point, as I realised what had just crossed my mind. I wasn't grateful to these humans art all, and it annoyed me that I had been for even a moment. Whatever my family had done to me, they were my family, and I wasn't going to let them be replaced by a species who only wanted me for their own entertainment.  
  
"When the bough breaks, the cradle will rock…" As I continued the song, repeating it over and over again, loud cheers erupted from the crowd, and as I came to the finale, I felt something hard hit the side of my head and topple to the ground, making a clinking sound as it hit. I knew immediately that it was a coin, and I began to understand what my friend was talking about when he said he'd prefer them to hate the performance.  
  
As my master led me off stage I took one last glance at the humans in the audience. Their insane grinning made me sick. I was being exploited simply for their pleasure. Somehow, I had to get away before I became just like them 


	2. Chapter Two

After a VERY long delay, here is Chapter Two of "Summertime in Paradise". I apologise for taking so long to write it, but I've been busy with Uni work, and haven't had much time to write my fan-fiction. I hope you like this chapter, and especially hope you like the twist/cliff-hanger at the end.

Chapter Two 

"How was it?" my friend asked once he was sure we were alone in the room. It was pitch dark outside, and the room was only lighted by the moon, which shone through the window, reassuring me that it was there even if I couldn't see it. The blue-ish light caused an eerie glow on everything in the room, and cast huge shadows on the walls which made me shiver even though I knew there was only two of us in the room.

"Awful," I replied eventually. 

"Did they like you?" he asked cautiously.

"They _loved _me," I spoke bitterly, remembering the whistles and cheering which was still in my head even now. 

"And I'm guessing they threw lots of coins?" He guessed correctly.

"I think I swallowed one."

"Those humans would probably tear you to pieces to get that money," he snarled, and I heard his fist make contact with the side of the cage. He was so frustrated I could feel my own cage vibrating. He obviously had the same opinion as I had. Something else we both had in common, besides species. The thought that someone else shared my views, made me all the more determined that one day soon, I would walk away from the hotel and know that I never had to be a slave again. As I looked ahead of me, at the thick iron bars holding me captive, and padlock almost as big as myself on one side, it seemed impossible. 

"Have you ever thought about escaping?" I asked suddenly, although I couldn't be sure whether it hadn't just been inside my head.

"Every day," he replied sadly. "It's impossible. Believe me, I've tried."

"You wanna try again?" I asked hopefully. It may be impossible, but I wanted to try it for myself. Years ago it was said that it was impossible that Ho-Oh existed, and now there had been so many sightings that it was impossible that he didn't. 

"I've spent half of my life trying to escape. Now all I want to do is sit back and get on with the life I'm stuck with."

"But if you don't keep trying then you'll never know whether not it is possible." I had always believed in ever giving up; it was something I had never done before, and I wasn't about to begin now.

"Do you have a plan?" he asked me sceptically.

"I'm working on it," I said back. It was partly a lie. The truth was, I had no idea what I was planning to do, but I wasn't going to stop until I had a plan set firm in my mind.

My friend had fallen into silence, and I had no way of knowing whether he was as deep in thought as me, or if he simply had nothing more to say. I slumped to the ground, tired and weary, and before I had time to stop myself, I had drifted into a deep slumber. 

It was almost dark, and the moon was shining brightly above me. I was wandering aimlessly through a large forest, with trees as high as I could see, and all around me. Now I think about it, it wasn't the best place I could be, but back then I was young and naïve, and going through a phase of believing that every Pokemon was kind and gentle. I had left my family only a week before, and I was at a loss as to what I should do and where I should go. 

_Deciding it was too late to carry on walking, and that my feet couldn't take much more anyway, I decided to find a place to rest for the night. I was lucky; a few metres ahead of me was a large tree with a hollow at the bottom, easily big enough for me to shelter in. _

_Before I managed to reach the hole, I heard a low growl from the forest. It begun quiet, but gradually got louder and louder, until soon, the sound was almost deafening. In panic, I glanced nervously around me, but upon seeing nothing, I put the sound down to a storm in the distance. But if it was going to begin to rain, I had to get to shelter soon to avoid catching a cold, so glancing around me once more I begun to walk again._

_I heard the Houndour before I saw it. A sudden rustling from the bushes, and it was on top of me, pinning me roughly to the ground. I begun to cry for help, but realised none was going to come. I looked up at the Pokemon's face, and spoke._

_"Please…" I cried. "Let me go."_

_"I have a young family to feed," he growled back viciously. "I don't have time for sympathy."_

_I attempted to wriggle free from his grip, but he was strong and I was weak, and I knew that it wasn't going to work, however hard I tried, so I closed my eyes, and begun to pray, using my singing voice, hoping with all my heart that someone would hear._

_A couple of seconds later, the grip holding me down loosened, and then the Houndour slipped away from me immediately. I opened my eyes slowly, waiting to be grabbed again, but when it didn't happen I opened them fully and glanced around me. Houndour was lying on the ground beside me, and was snoring almost as loudly as he had been growling._

_Did I do that? I asked myself in amazement. I had always thought my voice was unable to send other Pokemon to sleep. But I couldn't think of any other reason why he would suddenly fall asleep, when he had been so lively only a moment ago. Maybe someone had answered my prayers, after all…_

I awoke with a jolt, and sat up immediately. Darkness was still surrounding the room, and for a moment I was confused as to where I was. As I finally got my bearings, I suddenly remembered the dream. But it wasn't simply a dream, it was a flashback into my past. I had beaten that Houndour because I wanted it so badly, and I was going to do the same thing to get out of the hotel…

"I've got it!" I shouted loudly. I didn't even think about the fact that he would probably be asleep; I was too excited at the prospect of finally escaping.

"Got what?" he replied groggily from below, and I heard a sudden movement from in his cage.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" I asked.

"Yeah you did actually," he replied, laughing slightly. "So what's the big news?"

"I thought of a way we can escape," I spoke excitedly. As I explained my plan to him, it became clearer and clearer in my mind that it was going to work, and by the time I had finished, I had gotten the plan fully worked out in my mind.

I would be sent out to perform tomorrow night just like I did every night. My friend would go first, and then escape from the master, and hide away somewhere until it was safe to come out. It would be then be time for my half of the plan. I would go on stage and begin to sing, and I hoped with all my heart that I would be able to make it meaningful enough to send the audience, and in fact, the entire hotel into slumber. That would be our chance to get as far away as possible. But it wasn't the escape that was dominating my thoughts. Finally getting out meant I would finally see my friend face to face, and that was worth everything. 

I hardly slept at all that night. My mind went over the plan time and time again. I wanted it to be perfect, or else there was a danger that we might fail, and at the moment, failure was not an option. The next morning I was exhausted, but determined that it wouldn't affect my performance that night. 

--------------------------------------------------

The day went slowly; more slowly than any day previously, as if time had stopped for years on end, and had began again half way through the tensest day of my life. Me and my friend had hardly spoken, and I gathered from his total silence that the same things were running through his head as were in mine. 

What if everything went wrong? What if one of us didn't make it out? How would our master react? Of course, there was no way I could answer any of those questions until the moment came, and yet I continued to run them through my head, with the hope of getting some kind of reassurance. 

Half an hour later, the door swung open, banging loudly on the wall as our master entered the room. It was obvious as soon as I saw his face in the dull light, that he was not in a good mood, although there was no way of telling why. Whatever it was though, I got the feeling it was going to make our plan all the more hard to carry out. 

"Get out of there!" he yelled angrily, as he pulled open the door of my friend's cage and dragged him out. I heard him whimper as the cage slammed shut, and a moment later, so did the door to the room. Suddenly, I was afraid for my friend. Humans were violent and unpredictable, and in a temper like that, there was no telling how far he might go. I suddenly begun to get doubts as to whether carrying out our escape would be a good idea, but I knew that if we didn't do it now, we might never get the chance again. 

I must have fallen asleep, although I had no recollection of doing so, because the next thing I remembered was the door opening once again, and our master entering, with a shadowed figure which I could only assume was my friend, on a rope beside him.

"That was a little better," he said roughly as he opened the cage door and allowed my friend to leap back inside. "But I'd still like to see you improve… After all, you know what happens to Pokemon I'm not happy with." It was a threat. This pathetic human was openly threatening a Pokemon , and for no reason other than the fact that he wasn't obeying him fully. Was there any reason why he should obey? Pokemon weren't put on the planet to serve humans, we were there to live beside them, and live in harmony together. 

It was my turn now. This was when the plan was really going to begin. I was visibly shivering as it dawned on me that everything was dependant on my determination. I suddenly had the greatest fear that I was going to fail.

As I was led down the corridor to the entertainment room, I viewed many Pokemon cleaning rooms, and a few carrying trays of food around. There was even a Totodile standing beside the pool, acting as a lifeguard. Couldn't these humans do anything themselves?

Backstage was bustling with activity. Humans and Pokemon were racing backwards and forwards, carrying tiny costumes that I assumed unlucky Pokemon were made to wear. There was one in particular which caught my eye, as it glittered in the light. It was covered in tiny blue sequins, which made it shimmer all over. It was beautiful, but I knew I would have a different opinion if I was made to wear it.

As I stopped to glance around, ensuring I knew exactly where I had to go once I had sent the audience into slumber, I was kicked harshly from behind, and I glanced up to see my master glaring down at me.

"Get a move on!" he shouted loudly as I fell to the floor due to the force he had put into his shove. I slowly got to my feet, my back sore, and limped on as fast as I could manage. I could feel myself growing more and more nervous as I got closer and closer to the stage. I could almost feel the warm breath of the audience as I made my way timidly onto the stage. I blinked due to a bright light shining from the ceiling; obviously seeing I was struggling, a moment later it dimmed to a faint glow, allowing me to open my eyes and wander the short distance to the podium I had been singing on the night before. 

"This is it," I murmured to myself, as I took a deep breath before beginning to sing. As the words began to flow from my mouth, I closed my eyes tightly and prayed, more than I had when the Houndour had been chasing me, more than I ever had done before. As I continued to sing, I didn't dare open my eyes, because as long as they were closed I could hope that the audience was asleep; once I opened them, I would know the truth. Ten minutes later, and I had repeated the song so many times my voice was beginning to sound croaky. I knew it was time to stop. 

I opened my eyes slightly, before allowing myself to see fully. Nervously, I glanced around the room, hoping with all my heart that the humans would be sleeping. To the left of me, I saw one table, with its occupants eyes closed and heads down. I looked across at the next, and then the next, until I finally reached the other end of the room. I doing so, I hadn't seen a single person awake. And if the audience were asleep, so would the other humans, as the shows were broadcast through out the building. The Pokemon, however, would be wide-awake.

Why? The first verse of my song had been a message. One that Pokemon would understand, but humans wouldn't. I had warned them of the plan, and urged them to keep their ears covered for the next ten minutes. Now it was time for my second message.

"The humans are asleep!" I cried in success. "Make your way down to the reception area. I will meet you there as soon as I can, and then it will be time for escape!" I leapt down from the podium, and glanced once more at the snoozing audience. I had thought my voice was incapable of sending anyone to sleep, and yet now I had, because I had wanted it with all my heart. Once I got out of the hotel, I planned to guide my friend back with me to my family, where I would prove to them that I was as powerful as my brothers and sisters. 

------------------------------------------

Before I met the other Pokemon in the reception, there was one more thing I had to do. Since the master had removed me straight from the room, I hadn't had the time to release my friend from his cage. I had been angry that he couldn't have been one of the first people to be set free, but that couldn't be helped, and I was guided by the fact that I would soon be able to see him face to face.

As I reached the door, I heard the snoring of a human. The corridor was dull, but ahead of me, in front of he door I was heading towards, was a shadowy figure laid on the ground. The scent he was releasing made it obvious who this human was. It was our master, the guy who had made our lives hell for the past week. I crept slowly towards him, afraid of waking him; if I did, then I would have failed. He was blocking the entire corridor, which made it harder to get past, but fortunately, he had opened the door ahead before he had fallen asleep. Backing up, I leapt as far as I could, and, blowing up like a balloon, floated gracefully back to the ground. Listening carefully, I could hear no sound coming from the human, so I continued into the pitch black room.

"Hello?" I whispered.

"I'm here!" my friend replied, and my heart leapt.

"I'm going to let you out now," I whispered again. "Then I'm going to check the rest of the hotel, to make sure no one's been left behind. I'll meet you in the reception along with the other Pokemon." I carefully clambered up the side of the cage, heading for the top, where I knew the key was hanging. Reaching over to it, I fumbled in the dark for a moment before grasping it in my hands and inserting it slowly into the padlock. 

Click. I sighed with relief, as the padlock slipped to the ground, and the cage door opened. Once I was sure that my friend was able to get out, I jumped back down to the floor.

"Thanks!" he spoke, as I raced from the room.

"See you soon!" I replied.

-------------------------------------------

I checked the long rows of bedrooms first. I knew Pokemon were employed to clean the rooms, and I was afraid that someone might have missed the warning and fallen asleep in one of them. Finding no one, I headed towards the gym, where I had seen a Machoke and Totodile working the day before.

The gym was bright compared to the rest of the hotel. Luminous lamps hung from the ceiling, shining down onto the equipment below. I laughed as I spotted a human lying on the floor below a heavy looking weight, fast asleep. As I headed into the swimming area, I spotted something floating in the water. At first I thought it was a human child, but as I got closer I realised it was the Totodile who worked as a lifeguard. It appeared as though he had fallen asleep and slipped into the water, and he was now floating on his back across the pool. 

Glancing around me, I spotted a rubber ring on the ground. I couldn't swim, and if I drowned I would be no help to anyone, so I squeezed the ring around my body, and leapt into the water. Luckily for me, the ring did as it was supposed to, and I flapped my arms wildly to propel myself towards the Pokemon. I was exhausted by the time I had made it to the other side of the pool; swimming wasn't as easy as it looked. I frantically shook the Pokemon's arm, hoping he would wake up. Unfortunately, my voice had been strong, and he was in deep slumber. I carefully grabbed his long tail, and pulled him carefully to a flight of steps which lead back onto dry land. Finally getting my feet on the floor, I pulled myself from the ring, and leapt up the final step to the side of the pool. I slowly pulled Totodile onto the ring I had used to float in, and used the rope attached to one side, to drag him from the gym. It was a good job the reception was nearby, I thought, or else there was no way I would have made it. 

The last of the Pokemon were entering the reception area as I dragged the ring it's final step, and dropped the rope to the ground. Falling to the floor in exhaustion, I sat and glanced around in the hope of seeing my friend.

Chansey, Pikachu, Marill, Hitmonchan, Charmeleon, and many other species were sitting around in chairs and on the ground in the area. Some had also fallen victim to my singing, and were being awakened by their friends, who had anxious looks on their faces. There was only one Pokemon I couldn't see, and that was a Jigglypuff.

"Thanks for saving us," a Pidgeot spoke, flying down to the ceiling to join me.

"No problem," I mumbled back, distracted. What if he had been caught? What if the master had woken up before he'd had a chance to escape. If he had been caught, then he'd be in a lot of trouble. 

"So," a voice spoke behind me. "I finally get to see your beautiful face." It was him! I couldn't have mistaken the voice. It was one which had been in my mind since the day we had first spoken. I spun round to face him, preparing myself to give him a hug. But as I laid my eyes upon him, I gasped.

"You're a-" I exclaimed, not able to continue. It couldn't be true. My best friend, the one I loved, and the one I had been dreaming about in my cold and lonely cage… was a Poliwhirl.****


End file.
